Connecting fitting with an elastic ring as a stop

ABSTRACT

A connecting fitting used for fixing longitudinal bodies to perforations or openings, especially in the wall of a housing, which include retaining projecting elements that engage with the edge of the perforation from the rear, and a stop in the form of a plastic ring which, in use, lies on a side of the opening opposite the edge of the opening that is engaged from the rear. The elastic ring is supported by a surface of the connecting fitting which expands from an area adjacent the opening from inside toward outside in an oblique manner, whereby the ring can be moved and displaced axially when the diameter is elastically enlarged, in order to account for different wall thicknesses. In order to compensate for even greater differences in wall thicknesses, the connecting fitting, adjacent to the region of the oblique surface, is divided into a separate part which include the oblique surface that is displaceable on the connecting fitting in an axial direction, whereby the axial distance of the oblique surface to the retaining projecting elements can be modified or selected, thereby allowing for at least approximate adaptation to various wall thicknesses.

BACKGROUND

The invention concerns a connecting fitting for fixing longitudinalbodies such as tubing, corrugated tubing, pipes, cables or other suchthings to an opening, especially to a perforation or punch hole, forexample, in a wall of a housing or some such surface, whereby theconnecting fitting features a fastening projection which protrudesaxially in the direction of insertion, which is divided, essentially,into holding tongues by slots that extend in the axial direction. On theoutside of these tongues, at least when in use, there are retainingprojecting elements that project radially outwardly, so that when thefastening projection is pushed into the opening, the holding tonguesachieve a holding position behind the edge of the opening (perforationor similar hole), in that they at least partially extend behind thisedge. A stop is also situated at a distance from the retainingprojecting elements. When in use, this stop lies on the edge of theopening opposite the edge of the opening which is engaged from the rear.The stop is formed of an elastic or elastic rubber ring which issupported by an oblique surface of the connecting fitting which expandsfrom the opening from the inside to the outside in an oblique manner,whereby the ring can be moved and displaced, because of its elasticreset ability, in the axial direction when the diameter is elasticallyenlarged.

This type of connecting fitting is already known from the German PatentDE 198 04 719 C1, and has been proven useful, because it can be used onopenings, holes, or perforations of housing walls with differing wallthicknesses, whereby the elasticity of the ring forming the stop isutilized for adjusting to differing wall thicknesses, since this ring issupported on one of the surfaces of the connecting fitting expandingaway from the opening and can be more or less displaced, depending onthe thickness of the wall, by the elastic enlargement of its diameter.

However, the greatest possible wall thickness is limited to the distancebetween the beginning of the oblique surface and the retainingprojecting elements that extend behind the opening in the wall.Moreover, an elastic ring with a relatively large cross section must beused in consideration of relatively thin wall thicknesses, which alsomakes a greater displacement ability necessary for use with relativelylarge wall thicknesses. In addition, an elastic ring with a larger crosssection also means higher costs.

SUMMARY

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a connecting fittingof the type defined in the introduction, whereby rings with a smallercross section can be used as stops, therefore also enabling the fittingto be used with greater wall thicknesses.

As a solution to this seemingly contradictory task, a connecting fittingis provided that is divided into separate parts adjacent to the regionwith the oblique surface and/or in the region of the largest diameter ofthe oblique surface; the separate part with the oblique surface on theconnecting fitting can be displaced in the axial direction, enabling theaxial distance of the oblique surface from the retaining projectingelements to be modified or selected.

In this way, it is possible to allow for a wall thickness in the regionof a perforation of the housing to be engaged from behind in such a waythat an elastic ring with a relatively small cross section is sufficientto achieve the desired fastening. This elastic ring, an O-ring forexample, can be correspondingly inexpensive. In addition, above all,there is no large displacement force exerted on the elastic stop ring,even with large wall thicknesses, which can also be allowed for by thedisplacement of the part with the oblique surface.

Additionally, even larger wall thicknesses can be engaged withoutproblems, due to the possibility of displacing the part with the obliquesurface opposite the connecting fitting in an axial direction.

It is especially convenient if the separate part with the obliquesurface can be displaced in the axial direction, and then alsoimmobilized by means of turning on a screw threading. In this way, aninfinitely variable adjustment to different wall thicknesses can beachieved. For fixing the position, the self stopping action of the screwthreading, especially in conjunction with the elastic ring or O-ring, issufficient in most cases.

The part with the oblique surface can be a ring which has internal screwthreading over at least part of its axial length, and which fits onto anouter screw thread on the connecting fitting. This makes it possible toachieve a simple axial displacement by turning this ring, which then canalso adjust the elastic ring correspondingly.

The part with the oblique surface can have a ring area located adjacentto the oblique surface in an axial direction, situated at a furtherdistance from the retaining projecting elements than from the obliquesurface when in use. This ring area can be constructed as a grippingring for turning and/or provided with indentations for grasping it byhand or, if necessary, by a tool. It is therefore especially conduciveto ease of use if the area with the oblique surface is divided up, withsome distance from the end of the oblique surface, i.e. from the areawith the largest diameter opposite the connecting fitting, so that agripping ring is also formed at the same time, allowing the part withthe oblique surface or the ring to be comfortably grasped and turned forfastening together.

A modified version of the invention can be constructed in which the partwith the oblique surface or the ring can be axially displaced in stagesand can be immobilized by means of a detachable bolting device, e.g.with a cross pin that fits into cross perforations of the part or ringand the connecting fitting. Since the elastic ring serving as a stop canadapt to differences in wall thickness at the perforation in thehousing, spaced-apart or graduated displacements and immobilizations ofthe separate part with the oblique surface can suffice for adapting tolarge differences in wall thickness without any problem. The use ofscrew threads can thus be avoided.

In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the cross pin canbe constructed as a bolt, whereby the pin itself is correspondingly wellsecured in its locked position. The number of cross perforationsdepends, then, on the overall differences in wall thickness in the areaof a housing perforation that the device is supposed to be able tobridge.

For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the connectingfitting can be provided with another screw threading for a collet, sothat a collet with clamps can be situated inside the connecting fittingand operated in a self-evident manner, e.g. for immobilizing a cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in more detail onthe basis of the attached drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial side view of a longitudinal section of theconnecting fitting in accordance with the invention which is subdividedin the area with an oblique surface, in particular by a screw thread ofthe type allowing the part with the oblique surface to be displacedopposite the connecting fitting by turning, before assembly,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, shown after assembly, in which theconnecting fitting is attached to a relatively thin wall and the partwith the oblique surface with the elastic ring acting as a stop istherefore displaced closer to the retaining projecting elements,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 in which a wall with greaterthickness is provided and, accordingly, the part with the obliquesurface is displaced in the axial direction further from the retainingprojecting elements,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 in which the part with the obliquesurface or the ring can be displaced in steps and immobilized in anyposition by means of a cross pin, thus enabling its use with arelatively thin wall, and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with an alternate embodiment of theinvention in which the connecting fitting engages a relatively thickwall and the part with the oblique surface is secured by a cross pin andperforations in one of the positions further from the retainingprojecting elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention,parts corresponding to each other with regard to their function, butmodified in their design or version, are designated with the samereference number.

A connecting fitting designated as a whole with 1 is used for fixinglongitudinal bodies, in the described embodiment for fixing a body thatis essentially smooth on the outside, such as a cable, to an opening 3,such as a perforation or a hole, in a wall 4 of a housing or some suchsimilar object. The longitudinal body or cable is not drawn in for thesake of a better view.

The connecting fitting 1 includes a fixing projecting element 5 thatextends in the axial direction of insertion, indicated by the arrow PF1in FIG. 1, which is divided into holding tongues 7 by the slots 6 thatextend in the axial direction. On the outside of these holding tongues,there are retaining projecting elements 8 projecting in radiallyoutwardly. These retaining projecting elements go into the opening 3when the fixing projecting element 5 is pushed in, thereby pushing theholding tongue 7 behind the edge 9 into its holding position inaccordance with FIGS. 2 through 5, so that the retaining projectingelements 8 reach behind this edge 9. This gives them a somewhatsawtooth-like cross section, i.e., their height increases in theopposite direction of insertion by degrees up to the greatest radialdimension, and then decline relatively abruptly within a radial plane,so that, in use, this abrupt decline forms a working connection with theedge of the hole 9.

At a distance from the retaining projecting elements 8 and their abruptstopping surface is a stop which is described in more detail hereafter,and which, when in use, lies on the edge of the opening 10 which liesopposite the edge 9 of the opening 3, which is gripped from behind, asshown in FIGS. 2 through 5.

The previously mentioned stop is a rubber elastic ring 11, preferably anO-ring, and, according to FIGS. 2 through 5, is positioned immediatelyon the edge of the opening 10 and supported on a surface 12 that expandsfrom the inside towards the outside obliquely as it extends away fromthe opening 3. The stop, as a whole, is therefore formed by this obliquesurface 12 and the elastic ring 11 positioned on it.

Compared to an initial position, as in FIG. 1, the ring 11, because ofits position, can be displaced in the axial direction by the enlargementof its diameter in opposition to a reset force on the oblique surface12, and can therefore be somewhat spread out, but may also be somewhatcondensed at the same time.

Compared to FIGS. 2 and 4, just such a greater axial displacement of thering 11 forming the abutment will result if the thickness of the wall 4is greater than in the illustrations named, so that because of theelasticity of the ring 11 and the oblique surface 12, whose smallestdiameter can encroach a little into the ring 11, an automatic adaptationto differing thicknesses of the wall 4 is possible. If the wall 4 isthicker, however, then the connecting fitting must be stuck into theopening 3 with greater force, until the retaining projecting elements 8achieve a position behind the edge 9, which is then gripped from behind,and are fixed there. In this case, the ring 11 is then correspondinglydeformed to a greater degree and expands over the oblique surface 12whenever it is axially displaced relative to this oblique surface 12.

So that significantly greater differences in the thickness of the wall 4are made possible, as illustrated by comparing FIG. 2 with FIG. 3 on theone hand and by comparing FIG. 4 with FIG. 5 on the other hand, theconnecting fitting 1 adjacent to the area with the oblique surface 12 isdivided up, and the separate part 2 with the oblique surface 12 can bedisplaced on the connecting fitting 1 in the axial direction, as clearlyillustrated by comparing FIGS. 2 and 3 in relation to 4 and 5. In thisway, the axial distance of the oblique surface 12 or its origin from theretaining projecting elements 8 can be altered and selected, i.e., arough adjustment to the wall thickness in question can be performed fromthe outset, so that the elastic stop ring 11 only needs to be subjectedto a small deformation in order to achieve a precise adaptation to therespective wall thickness. Because of this, a ring 11 that is relativelysmaller in diameter can suffice for this adaptation, and the deformingforce to which it is subjected then also remains small if a relativelylarge wall thickness is present at the opening 3. In FIGS. 2 and 3 onthe one hand and in FIGS. 4 and 5 on the other hand, it can be clearlyseen that the ring 11 must bridge a comparatively consistent distancebetween the oblique surface 12 and the outside of the wall 4 in spite ofdiffering wall thicknesses in each case because the part 2 with theoblique surface 12 had already been essentially adapted beforehand tothe expected wall thickness. Nevertheless, the advantage of an elasticstop ring 11 which can balance out inexactness and differences inthickness is maintained.

In FIGS. 1 through 3, an embodiment of the invention is shown in whichthe part 2 with the oblique surface 12 can be displaced by a screwthread by turning it in the axial direction and can be secured by theself-securing property of this screw threading as well as by thefriction on the elastic ring 11. In this case, the part 2 with theoblique surface 12 is a ring, which has an inner screw threading 13 overa part of its axial extension, which fits onto an outer screw threading14 on the connecting fitting 1 in the region of the common plane ofseparation. In FIG. 1, this part 2 bolts together in the axial directionin its upper end position, i.e. the position the furthest away from theretaining projecting elements 8, while FIG. 2 illustrates a screwconnection in the opposite direction with a corresponding decrease inthe distance to the retaining projecting elements 8. In this position,as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the inner screw threading of thering-shaped part 2 has therefore vacated the outer screw threading 14 ofthe connecting fitting 1.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the part 2with the oblique surface 12 can be displaced in graduated steps and canbe secured by a movable bolting device, that is to say, with at least across pin 16 that fits into cross perforations 15 of the part 2 and theconnecting fitting 1. This cross pin can also, if necessary, beconstructed as a bolt so that it is, self secured. In FIGS. 4 and 5, twocross perforations 15 across from each other in the axial direction onthe connecting fitting 1 can be recognized. In this case, there are twoadjustment positions possible for differing thicknesses of the wall 4.Wall thicknesses lying in between these can be adjusted to by theelasticity and differing degree of deformation of the ring 11, as wellas a possible displacement on the oblique surface 12.

In both embodiments of the invention, the part 2 with the obliquesurface 12 has a ring region 17 which is located adjacent to the obliquesurface 12 in the axial direction, and, when in use, at a distancefurther from the retaining projecting elements 8 than from the obliquesurface 12, and which, in the version of the invention in FIGS. 2 and 3,is constructed as a gripping ring for turning, and which can be graspedby hand or, if needed, with a tool, in order to turn it. In the versionof the invention illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cross perforations 15for the cross pin 16 are located in this ring region 17.

Since in this ring region 17, a single cross perforation 15 issufficient and the adjacent cross perforations running in the axialdirection are located in the connecting fitting 1, a relatively morenarrow ring region 17 can suffice.

In both embodiments of the invention, a collet 18 belonging to thisdevice can be provided, which is located on the inside of the connectingfitting 1, and which, with the help of a screw housing 19, can be placedin the axial direction, in order to press a gasket 20 against alongitudinal body to be secured, and to securely fasten this in theregion of the connecting fitting.

The connecting fitting 1 for fixing longitudinal bodies to perforationsor openings 3, especially the wall 4 of a housing, comprising retainingprojecting elements 8 engaging with the edge 9 of a perforation 3 fromthe rear and a stop embodied in the form of an elastic ring 11 from therear. When in use, this stop lies against the edge of the opening 10opposite the edge 9 of the opening 3, which is gripped from the rear.The elastic ring 11 is supported by a surface 12 of the connectingfitting 1 that expands obliquely from inside to outside as it extendsaway from the opening 3, so that the elastic ring can be displaced andmoved in the axial direction by elastic enlargement of its diameter, inorder to adapt to differing wall thicknesses. So that yet greaterdifferences in wall thicknesses can be adapted to, the connectingfitting 1 adjacent to the region with the oblique surface 12 is dividedup, and the separate part 2 with the oblique surface 12 can be displacedin the axial direction on the connecting fitting 1, whereby the axialdistance of the oblique surface 12 from the retaining projectingelements 8 can be altered or selected, and is therefore at least roughlyadaptable to differing wall thicknesses.

What is claim is:
 1. A connecting fitting (1) for fixing longitudinalbodies to an opening (3) in a wall (4) of a housing or surface, theconnecting fitting (1) comprising a fastening projection (5) whichprotrudes axially in a direction of insertion (PF1), which is dividedinto holding tongues (7) by slots (6) that extend in the axialdirection, retaining projecting elements (8) that project radiallyoutwardly located on an outside of the holding tongues, so that in useupon the fastening projection (5) being pushed into the opening (3), theholding tongues (7) engage in a holding position behind an edge (9) ofthe opening (3) in which the retaining projecting elements at leastpartially reach behind the edge (9), a stop located on the fitting at adistance from the retaining projecting elements (8) which, in use, lieson an edge of the opening (3) opposite the edge (9) of the opening (10),which is engaged from behind, the stop being formed of an elastic orelastic rubber ring (11), which is supported by an oblique surface (12)of the connecting fitting (1) which expands from a position adjacent theopening from inside to outside in an oblique manner, and which can bemoved and displaced due to its elastic reset ability on the obliquesurface (12) in the axial direction so that a diameter thereof iselastically enlarged, the fitting being divided to form a separate partin a region with the oblique surface (12) and/or in the region of thegreatest diameter of the oblique surface (12), the separate part (2)with the oblique surface (12) being displaceable on the connectingfitting (1) in the axial direction so that an axial distance of theoblique surface (12) from the retaining projecting elements (8) can bealtered or selected.
 2. A connecting fitting according to claim 1,wherein the separate part (2) with the oblique surface (12) can bedisplaced in the axial direction and is secureable via turning on ascrew threading.
 3. A connecting fitting according to claim 1, whereinthe separate part (2) with the oblique surface (12) is a ring which hasan inner screw threading (13) over at least part of an axial extensionthereof, and which fits onto an outer screw threading (14) on theconnecting fitting (1).
 4. A connecting fitting according to claim 1,wherein the separate part (2) with the oblique surface (12) has a ringregion (17) adjacent to the oblique surface (12) in the axial direction,which is located further from the retaining projecting elements (8) thanfrom the oblique surface (12) when in use, and which is constructed as agripping ring for turning and/or provided with depressions for gripping.5. A connecting fitting according to claim 1, wherein the separate part(2) with the oblique surface (12) is displaceable in graduated steps inthe axial direction and is securable via a movable bolting device havinga cross pin (16) that fits into a cross perforation (15) in the separatepart (2) and the connecting fitting (1).
 6. A connecting fittingaccording to claim 5, whereim several cross perforations (15) areprovided on the connecting fitting in the axial direction and one crossperforation is provided on the part (2).
 7. A connecting fittingaccording to claim 5, wherein the cross pin (16) is constructed as abolt.
 8. A connecting fitting according to claim 1, wherein the part (2)with the oblique surface (12) has a ring region (17) adjacent to theoblique surface (12) in the axial direction, which is situated furtherfrom the retaining projecting elements (8) than from the oblique surface(12) when in use, and on which a cross perforation (15) for a cross pin(16) is located.